The Hanging Cross (21 Dec. 1957)

Christmas proves a dangerous time when a rancher chooses family over peace and violence over negotiation.

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry, Herb Meadow (creator),

Stars:

Richard Boone, Edward Binns, Abraham Sofaer

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Richard Boone	...	Paladin
Edward Binns	...	Nathaniel Beecher
Abraham Sofaer	...	Chief Cah-la-te
Don Beddoe	...	Tater - Foreman
Johnny Crawford	...	Robbie AKA Chiwa
Mary Adams	...	Maggie
Frances Osborne	...	Maudie
Nira Monsour	...	Tia (as Nyra Monsour)
Buck Young	...	Pete
Mitchell Kowall	...	Jesse (as Mitchell Kowal)
James Gavin	...	Cowboy

Storyline

Christmas proves a dangerous time when a rancher chooses family over peace and violence over negotiation.

---

Genres:

Drama | Western

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1957 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Filmaster Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Johnny Crawford (Robbie/Chiwa) may be more familiar to classic TV viewers as Mark McCain on The Rifleman.

---

Quotes

Paladin: With this gun, I could have stopped murder tonight. But I've taken it off. That's my present to you. In all my life I've only seen a dozen real killers, but I've seen ten thousand people that would stand by and let it happen. Which is the greater evil?

User Reviews

Have Christmas, Will Celebrate

This Christmas episode features images very rarely seen on TV these days--a cross, people singing hymns and mentioning God rather than Santa Claus. The episode begins instead of the usual way, with Paladin directly addressing the camera about his Christmas gift to the audience as he hangs up his gun. When next we see him, he's arriving on the ranch of Nathaniel Beecher (Edward Binns), a cold hearted rancher who sent for Paladin to help find his son who had been stolen by the Apaches years ago. Since he already has recovered the boy (Johnny Crawford) Beecher plans to stiff Paladin of his fee (and we get an idea how much $1,000 is in those days when we hear Beecher talk about hiring Paldin as a hand for $25 a month!). But then Beecher needs Paladin's services after all when the Shoshoni tribe Beecher got the boy from comes to get him back on Christmas Eve.

Boone has several nice moments in this along with Shoshoni Chief Cah-la-te (Abraham Sofarr) and the ranch foreman Tater (Don Beddoe in the first of his four appearances). In general this is a anti-prejudice feel good kind of an episode without a lot of action, but that works nicely as a Christmas story.